On Mon, 17 Apr 1995 09:08:32 -0400 "David B. O'Donnell" <[log in to unmask]> said: >- a demonstration of familiarity with Internet mail errors and debugging >them You have to strike a compromise between preventing totally clueless users from starting lists that only create trouble, and not discouraging novice users from learning all these things. You could prepare a guide with a list of common error messages and require users to read it before applying. If they get put off by the complexity, they won't apply :-) And, of course, if the list owner disappears, you close the list. To avoid this you could encourage list owners to nominate a second or third owner, this way the list remains even if they leave AOL. >- a demonstration that the list being petitioned for is unique I'd do this differently: let the user tell you what the list should be about, and then try to find a similar list. If you succeed in demonstrating that there is already a list for that, you don't create it. Eric